With the
Capitulation of Estonia and Livonia in 1710 the
Swedish dominions Estonia and
Livonia were integrated into the
Russian Empire following their conquest during the
Great Northern War. The
Livonian nobility and the city of
Riga capitulated on 4 July (
O.S.) / 15 July 1710 (
N.S.),
Pernau (Pärnu) in August, and the Estonian nobility and the city of
Reval (Tallinn) on 29 September (
O.S.) / 10 October (
N.S.). Russia left the local institutions in place and confirmed the traditional privileges of the German nobles and burghers, especially with respect to the
Protestant faith. The land reform of the so-called
reduction which had been introduced by the Swedish king
Charles XI, and transformed many serfs to subjects of the Crown, was reversed.